Woman on Fire

Harry Potter is a bit like the Godfather for me. I have never seen The Godfather, I can’t honestly say I ever plan to. Yet I can’t imagine my life without Harry Potter (seriously). I don’t expect everyone to understand that, but there you have it.

When submissions came in for the Woman on Fire column, the woman chosen was nominated by multiple people. Her nomination had a magical quality that reminded me of a character in the Harry Potter series. Have you ever met someone who manages to make life a little better for those around them? In the series, Harry Potter is a orphan forced to live with truly retched relatives. He befriends a classmate named Ronald Weasley. Ron’s family becomes like Harry’s surrogate family; at the centre of the Weasley family is Molly Weasley. She knows just how to show Harry kindness. She is caring, loving and never condescending or overbearing. Her thoughtfulness has always touched me. Receiving many emails about Susan (whose last name has been withheld to respect her privacy), Woman on Fire number three, did the same.

Susan takes care of a large surrogate family. Her husband is heavily involved with the fire department in Peace River. Her husband started bringing the firefighters meals and it is something Susan continued. When asked why she cooked the meals, she said “it was something that needed to be done. I could never be a firefighter, so this was my way of helping them.” She recalled packing her Honda Civic to the roof with food during the 1992 flood for the team. The reward for her was seeing the look on the team’s faces and being able to give them simple things such as glass of milk and an orange. In recent years, the department has been providing food for the members, yet Susan has remained actively involved. She has helped collect items for the annual Christmas party, put together videos to celebrate the team and helped with fundraising.

Susan regularly knits scarves for people, baby blankets for expectant mothers and recently, even a beanie boob for a mom-to-be who plans to breastfeed and had one on her wish list (they are brilliant, if you don’t already know what one is, Google it!).

When Susan’s husband fell ill, the couple were extremely grateful for the support they received from the fire department and Town staff. Speaking about the experience, Susan said, “I will always appreciate the way everyone made my husband feel welcome. The first clue that my husband wasn’t well was that he was not acting like himself. The fire department staff helped me, they even stayed with us at the hospital.”

Having weathered many storms herself, Susan is motivated to do things for others. It is important to her to cheer people up and never lose a sense of humour. To thank the fire department and Town staff, she described what she sent in thanks: “I made up a gift basket. It had whoopee cushions, balloons and whistles in it! I did not want it to be serious. The people my husband works with were so supportive, they showed him he really does have friends. It was so nice to see something that positive!”

Susan’s positivity is as infectious as her good humour and kindness. She is the core of her family, comprised of her husband and fur babies – Dalmatians, as well as the people who consider her family. The recipients of her care and cheer wrote in, all asking for recognition for a woman who asks for none and helps so many in every little way she can. In doing the little things, such as bringing someone a meal that needs it or helping an overwhelmed bride make hand-knitted wedding favours, Susan infuses everything she touches with a little bit of magic.

Susan doesn’t run a country, you don’t see her being interviewed by Oprah; after speaking to her and reading the testimonials of her friends, her everyday magic is just the kind of thing we need more of in this world. She is my real world Molly Weasley.